Ingredients

Preparation

Grease a 9-inch square cake pan.

Pour boiling water into a wok over high heat, add sugar and stir to dissolve. Add chopped water chestnuts and mix well. Add water chestnut powder mixture. Turn heat under wok to low. Stir mixture continually in one direction for 5 to 7 minutes, until mix is very thick and pasty.

Pour water chestnut mixture into greased pan. Place pan on a rack in wok. Add 8 cups boiling water, cover and steam for 40 minutes until it sets firmly and becomes translucent. Replenish boiling water after 20 minutes. Turn off heat, remove cake pan from steamer. Allow to set 4 minutes. Slice immediately and serve.

This is a most unusual cake. When freshly steamed and sliced, it has the consistency of a firm jelly. As it cools, it becomes very much like an aspic. It can be frozen either whole or in slices. To reheat, allow cake to return to room temperature, then steam for 10 minutes or until heated through. It will become more jellylike again. Eat it just as if it had been made fresh.

It can be pan-fried as well, but it must be cooled and refrigerated overnight preferably (not frozen) before doing so. To pan-fry, cut cooled cake into slices 2 inches square, 1/2 inch thick, and pan-fry in the same manner as turnip cake.

SELECT LATEST REVIEWS

Eileen, I was really excited to find this recipe because my favorite dim sum restaurant stopped making it and water chestnut cake is my favorite! Now I can't wait to try out this recipe. Where do you buy the water chestnut powder? (I couldn't find it even at my local Asian market.)

mnreiss from Los Angeles, CA / 11.19.14

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I don't know what I was expecting this to turn out as. The one thing I'm sure of is that I wasn't ready for a cross between a gelatin and a pudding. It's really interesting. I'm certainly not one to make negative judgements about foreign dishes, especially those that are beloved by their creators. I'm appreciative of the opportunity to try it out and the instructions were certainly very helpful in that regard. As to the final product...I think my main concern is finding an audience that will truly enjoy it, as it is so far outside the norm of American "desserts".